Nuclear stance

Press, 13 May 1987, Page 20

Nuclear stance

Sir,—Sir Geoffrey Howe alleged that Mr Lange misunderstood him. Professional diplomats like him do not allow themselves to be misunderstood, unless they do it deliberately, intending to use the “I was misunderstood” plea as an excuse. Mrs Thatcher and other European leaders are now trying to upset the peace negotiations by emphasising the Soviet’s strength in conventional weapons. I suspect this may be by prior arrangement with the Reagan Administration. I myself doubt these claims of Soviet supremacy in conventional weapons but, in any case, a man like Gorbachev would not risk a conventional attack in Europe knowing that it would almost certainly escalate into a nuclear one — there would still be enough missiles left to destroy both West and East. Even in a conventional war, would each side refrain from bombing the other’s nuclear power stations, creating another series of Chernobyls?—Yours, etc., t VERNON WILKINSON. May 9, 1987.